Concerned Citizens of the Asante Mampong Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region have warned that they will resist any attempt by the Minerals Commission to lease parts of the area for mining activities.
They accused state agencies of giving out lands for mining without engaging the local people.
“We are accusing the Mineral Commission of this in a sense that before any venture can be undertaken, we strongly believe that you ought to have done stakeholders’ consultation. During the consultation, they will know that the area earmarked and given as a mining area for the company will affect the rivers in that area. That is why we are accusing the Mineral Commission,” the Spokesperson for the group, Victor Owusu, said.
According to him, mining in the area will affect water production by the Ghana Water Company Limited at Mampong.
“When production of water is curtailed by the activities of mining, it will affect water supply to the many educational institutions, schools, and universities. We have Saint Monica’s, Nursing and Midwifery Colleges, among others.
“We cannot sit unconcerned and allow the area to be destroyed by the activities of galamsey and other mining ventures.”
He added: “In the first place, we are satisfied that the Mineral Commission has withdrawn the license they gave to that company which didn’t have the money to conduct a forensic audit. The signal we are sending across is that we, the people of Ashanti Mampong, will resist any attempt to introduce galamsey to the area.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister George Mireku Duker has fumed over the decision by the chiefs and people of Asante Mampong to stop all forms of mining in the area.
According to him, such actions will not be tolerated, adding that such a decision will create chaos in the country.
He said if a chief is allowed to say, “I don’t want any mining, [and] another can also say, I’m not interested in oil, so don’t even cross my town and go and get any crude oil, another chief will also say I don’t want to see my forest degraded, no timber. Someone will also say I want my cocoa and process my own chocolates, so nobody should come to my jurisdiction or farm; my people will farm, we will buy our own cocoa, don’t come and buy cocoa from us. Is that how we want to run the country?”